This Soft Cloth Moose is about 3 ½ inches high. He is an all white moose, except his antlers are brown, all of which is made of a soft cloth material. This moose is also wearing a white sweater with a sparkly, fuzzy white trim, and a matching sparkly scarf around his neck. With his arms opened wide it’s like he wants to give all a Christmas hug to help spread the cheer and spirit of the season. He can hang on the Christmas tree or even sit or hang as part of a display to brighten up any home. Select this link to view our Christmas Ornaments.
Holy Cross History.
The holy cross is the most common symbol of Christianity today.
The Christian cross is a sacred emblem of the Christian faith. Christians believe that Jesus’ Crucifixion played a central role in redeeming humanity from its sins, and they regard the holy cross as a sign of redemption. The use of the religious cross as a symbol of faith goes back at least as far as the second century A.D. During the first 300 years after Christ’s death, Christians feared persecution by the hostile Roman government and rarely displayed the religious crosses in public. In the 300’s the Romans began to tolerate Christianity, and Christian crosses were then displayed in public. St. Augustine in his writings speaks of the way the sign of the holy cross was used in performing the sacred acts of the Church, or sacraments. Select this link to view our Christmas Gifts.
During the early Middle Ages, Christian artists made religious crosses as symbols of the Christian belief in the Resurrection of Christ. Many of these crosses portrayed the risen Christ wearing priestly clothes and a royal crown. Later Christians began to emphasize the suffering of Jesus on the holy cross in crucifixes that depicts an image of the dying Jesus on the holy cross. Religious crosses have a number of uses in Christian worship. During some ceremonies, members of the clergy or worshipers trace the shape of a cross with a hand or certain fingers. Holy crosses were put up to mark the graves of heroes, kings, and bishops during the Middle Ages. Often religious crosses were set up in market places. People preached beneath religious crosses. Even today churches are often built with their floor plan in the shape of a cross picture. Select this link to view our Christmas Figurines.
Moose Facts.
The moose is the largest member of the deer family. It is larger than any deer that lived in past ages. The largest moose live in Alaska. Sometimes they grow seven and one half feet high at the shoulder and weigh fifteen to eighteen hundred pounds. Moose make their homes in the Northern Hemisphere all around the world. In the Old World, they live from northern Scandinavia and northern Germany through Siberia to Amurland. Their American home takes in the region from Maine to Alaska and south through the Ricky Mountains to Wyoming. Outside of America, these animals are not called moose, but elk. The moose has long legs and a hump over the shoulder. The upper part of the moose’s muzzle hangs three or four inches over the chin. An unusual growth of skin covered with hair, called the bell, hangs underneath its throat. The coat is brownish black on the upper parts. This dark color fades to a grayish brown on the belly and lower legs.
The bull moose has very heavy flattened antlers. Each antler has six to twelve short points which stick out like fingers from the palm of a huge hand. A moose sheds its antlers every year and grows a new pair. The antlers are full grown by late August. The bull then strips off the dead skin, called velvet and polishes his great weapons against trees. Baby moose are born in late May or June. They are carried inside the mother for about seven and one half months before they are born. A cow may have one calf or twins. The calf is reddish brown without spots and has long legs. After the first few weeks it is strong enough to travel around with its mother. Moose like to live in forest land that has willow swamps and lakes. Here the animals spend the summer and the cows care for their young. They visit the water to get rid of flies and feed on water plants. Moose are fine swimmers and do not hesitate to cross lakes and rivers. In the summer their food includes leaves and tender twigs as well as grass and herbs. Select this link to view our Animal Christmas Ornaments.